After the semesters - Boston, New York City and Returning Home

My last two stops on my trip were Boston and New York City. I spent 2 and a half days in Boston, on the first day I visited several historical sights on the Freedom Trail - that is a path through the city, where a lot of sights are located. I also went on a short fare back so I could see Boston from a boat which was also nice.

The next day, I went to the Copley Square - there were a lot of small shops and at the square was also the Boston Public Library, which is the oldest library in the USA, as well as the Trinity Church. Furthermore, I went to the famous Acorn Street, which is the most photographed street in the USA, after that I went to the Riverside Park and on the evening I went for a run to the MIT.

On the last (half) day, I went on a tour (organized by the hostel I stayed in) to the famous Harvard University and learned about the history and specific events that occurred at that sight.

In the late evening I took a bus to New York City, where I spent another 3 and a half days. I went again to the Times Square, the Central Park, the High Line and the Bryant Park, as well as to Coney Island, Roosevelt Island, the East Riverside Park, the Madison Square, the Union Square and several other places. The most interesting though was the visit in a Gospel Church - it was really a nice experience to see how these masses are hold in NYC.

Finally, on Wednesday the 20th of May at around 8:40pm I caught a flight back home and with a short stop at Iceland I arrived at about 1pm on the next day in Munich and got picked up by my parents. And now I really need sleep :)

After The Semesters - Washington DC, Lancaster and Philadelphia

On my after-semester-trip, my first three stations were Washington DC, Lancaster and Philadelphia. I arrived in Washington DC on Saturday at about noon and went directly to my hostel, where I put my bags. It was in a nice area with a lot of restaurants and bars a little bit out of the city center. After I rested for a bit, I went to the Arlington Cemetery, which is a military cemetery. This really big cemetery which has over 400.000 graves is really nice and typical for a military cemetery. I also attended a ceremony for some military personnel which was also interesting to watch. After I went to the graves of several presidents, I also went to the Pentagon Memorial, where they honored the people that died on 9/11. It was a nice place, but not really interesting.

On Sunday, I got up pretty early and went for a run in the Woodley Park, which was near the hostel I stayed in. It was a really nice park - when you were in there, you could completely forget that you are in a big city like Washington. Afterwards, I went to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Martin Luther King Memorial and also to the Roosevelt Memorial. I also shortly visited the Lincoln Memorial, White House and Washington Monument again and after that I went to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum which was quite interesting. At the evening I also went out to drink some beers with some of the people who also stayed at the hostel - the district was really nice, there were a lot of bars there.

On Monday, I slept long and then I already had to catch my bus to Lancaster, where I arrived late in the evening. The next day, I visited the so called "Amish House and Farm" which is a place where Amish people used to live a few decades ago. I got a guided tour through the house and walked around the farm and also attended a bus tour where I could see some Amish at work, their houses and two covered bridges.

On the same day I caught a bus to Philadelphia, where I arrived late at night. The next day I visited the famous prison, called "Eastern State Penitentiary". It was really interesting, how the prisoners lived a long time ago and how they were treated and tried to escape :). I also visited the Rocky Statue and Steps, the City Hall and the Liberty Bell. Furthermore, I had a delicious Philly Cheese Steak for lunch.

My next two stops will be Boston and New York City, before I fly back to Austria.